Strand handling apparatus



Feb. 19, 1952 A T, T BUNCH 2,585,999

STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Filed June 8, 1949 SHEETS-SHEET l lNl/EN TOR7. Z BUNCH ATTORNEY Feb. 19, 1952 Filed June 8, 1949 T. T. BUNCH STRANDHANDLING APPARATUS 2 SHEETSS HEET 2 FIG. 4

M/l/ENTOR T, T. BUNCH ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED STATESATENT OFFICE 2,585,999 STRAND HANDLING APPARATUS Tillman T. Bunch,-Ashland', Md assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, NewYork, N...Y., a corporation; of; New York.

Application June a, 1949;, serial-No. 1,331

- 1-3Claims. (opera-115) This invention relates to strand handlingapparatus, and more particularly to cop tubes for holding cops used withconcentric type strand serving apparatus.

In the manufacture of" various types of filamentary cores, such asinsulated electrical conductors, serving machines are used to wraptextile strands drawn from a supply cop' carried on a rotatable spindlespirally aroundthe filamentary core. In concentric type serving machinesthe core is advanced through the center of the cop, in which case, thecop tube must be capable of being removed from the core when the cop isexhausted. In high speed concentric serving machines, it is necessary toprovide a large cop on the machine in order to provide maximum operatingtime for the machine.

It has been the practice to wind cops for relatively slow speedconcentric serving machines on split paper or fiber cop tubes so thatthe empty cop tubes could be removed from the core. It was found that acop of the size required for high speed serving machines could not bewound on a paper cop tube because the increased diameter of the copincreases the, pressure on the tube to such an extent that the cop couldnot be removed readily from the spindle of the cop winding machine. Thisincreased pressure on the paper cop tube also made it extremely.difiicult to slide the cop tube onto the spindle of the servingmachine.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved cop tubes usedin the. braiding and serving arts.

Another object of the invention is to provide cop tubes capable of usewith high speed, concentric type serving machines.

A further object of the invention is to. provide. cop tubes arranged tobe keyed for rotationwith spindles of a cop winding machine and readilyremovable from the spindles.

Cop tubes exhibiting certain features .of the invention may be usedwitha winding spindle having a plurality of longitudinal grooves in thefree end thereof, and comprise a tubular member designed to bepositioned on the spindle and having ribs provided along the internalbore: thereof for slidably engaging the grooves of the spindle. Theinternal bore of the cop tube is substantially greater than the diameterof the spindle and the ribs coact with the groove to sup:

port the cop tube on the spindle so as to leave an annular clearancebetween the tube and the spindle, whereby textile strands may be woundon the cop tube without binding the tube on the spindle. V

A- clear understanding ofthe invention will be had from the followingdetailed description of a specificembodiment thereof and from theappended drawings, in which:

.- Fig: 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a winding spindle of a copwinding machine showing certain featuresof the invention;

Fig, 2 is an enlarged, vertical section taken along li-ne 2--2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a section of a sectional cop tubeembodying certain features of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a serving machine spindle having acompleted cop assembled thereon;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a cop tube and spindle forming analternate embodiment of the invention; e

Fig; 6 is atransverse section of a cop tube and spindleforming anotheralternate embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section of a cop tube and spindle forming anotheralternate-embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 8' is a transverse section of a cop tube and spindle forminganother alternate embodiment of thein'vention.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, there. isshown a spindle l0 forming part of a conventional cop winding machineand arranged to be rotated by suitable driving means (not shown). Thefree end of the spindle I0 is provided with four longitudinal grooves ll--I I, which are spaced apart about the periphery of the spindle. Thefree end of the spindle is designed to slidably receive a cop tubeindicated generally at [5, which consists of two identical sections[6-46 of. semi-circular cross-section. Each section [6 i provided withan internal rib ll positioned intermediately of the edges. thereof, andan internal rib 25 formed at each of the edges thereof. The ribs 20-20have a width equal to one-half of that of the ribs l'l.l'l. The ribsll-Il are designed to slidably engage two of the grooves [1-4 I- whichare diametrically opposedto each other, and when the sections Ifij+l6are butted'together, as shown in Fig. 2, the combined width of the ribs2@2il is equal to that of the. ribs ll--l i, so that they slidablyengage the two other grooves I I-l I.

When the sections Iii-l6 are placed together, the cop tube [5- formedthereby is designed to have an internal bore substantially larger thanthe diameter of the spindle IE3. The grooves |l..-| I.. provided in thespindle and'the'ribs ll--l i and Ill-21}. provided in the cop tube,coact with each other when the cop tube is assembled on the spindle tohold the cop tube concentrically on the spindle, and thereby leave asubstantial annular clearance 22 between the periphery of the spindleand the internal bore of the cop tube. The depth of the grooves ll-H andthe height of the internal ribs I'l-ll and 20-20 are arranged to leave aclearance 23 between the bottom of the grooves ll-ll and the adjacentsurfaces of the internal ribs. The radial width of the clearance 23 issubstantially equal to the radial width of the clearance 22 providedbetween the spindle l and the internal bore of the cop tube l5.

When the cop tube I5 is assembled on the spindle 10, the spindle isrotated to wind a plurality of strands, indicated by the numeral 25, onthe cop tube 15 to form a cop 26 having a predetermined diameter. Aconventional transversing apparatus indicated generally at 21, isprovided on cop winding machines for distributing the strands in apredetermined pattern on the cop tube as the cop 26 is wound thereon.The strands 25 are maintained at a predetermined tension as they arewound on the cop tube l5 so as to form a tightly wound cop. Since thestrands 25 are under tension as they are wound around the cop tube [5,the cop tube is subjected to substantial winding pressure.

As the diameter of the cop increases, the winding pressure built up inthe cop 25 tends to collapse the cop tube I5 and to reduce the internaldiameter thereof. The annular clearance 22 between the spindle l0 andthe internal surface of the cop tube, and the clearance 23 between theinternal ribs and the bottoms of their adjacent grooves, permit the coptube to collapse slightly under the pressure imposed thereon by the cop26. The arcuate portions of each section I5 between the ribs ll-l'l and20-20 are designed to have a wall thickness which will withstand thewinding pressure exerted on the tube by the cop 25 and at the same timeare sufficiently flexible to allow the internal ribs to move inwardly intheir respective grooves. The clearances 22 and 23 are such that themovement of the cop tube does not cause the internal bore of the coptube to engage the periphery of the spindle I0, or the inner surface ofthe ribs l'I-l'l and 20-20 to engage the bottoms of their respectivegrooves. Consequently, the pressure of the cop on the cop tube does notcause the cop tube l5 to bind on the spindle I0 when the cop 26 is woundthereon, and the cop may be removed readily from the spindle.

The clearances provided between the cop tube and the periphery of thespindle and between the internal ribs and the bottoms of theirrespective grooves, and the wall thickness of the cop tube permit a cop26 of substantial diameter to be wound on the cop tube I5 without thedanger of having the cop tube bind on the spindle due to the pressurebuilt up in the cop. In other words, the structural design of the coptube, together with the clearances provided between the spindle and thecop tube and between the grooves and the internal ribs, provides asemi-elastic arrangement which permits the cop tube to' give under thewinding pressure on the cop without having the cop tube bind on thespindle.

The cop tube 15 may be made of any suitable metallic material, such asaluminum, or of a plastic material. Satisfactory results have beenobtained by the use of cop tubes the sections of which have been moldedfrom a phenol-formaldehyde resin. The wall thickness of the cop tubewith respect to the thickness on the internal ribs which engage thegrooves of the spindle is critical in that the ribs must be as strong asthe other portions of the tube. The width of the internal ribs ll-l'lshould be at least equal to the wall thickness of the semi-circularsections Iii-l6 of the cop tube, and the internal ribs -20 are onehalfthe width of the internal ribs li-ii. The wall thickness of thesemi-circular sections is determined by the material from which the tubeis made and the winding pressure it must withstand without abnormaldistortion.

The clearances 22 and 23 are provided to prevent normal distortion ofthe tube due to the pressure exerted thereon by the cop from binding thetube on the spindle. The sides of the grooves Il-ll are perpendicular tothe base of the grooves in order to provide maximum crosssection for theinternal ribs l'l-i'i and 25-20 of the cop tube.

By providing four equally spaced grooves Il-ll in the spindle l0 andfour equally spaced ribs ll-ll and 20-20 in the cop tube H3 in themanner described, the sections lfi-lt} first must be butted together asshown and then slid as a unit longitudinally on the spindle it. When thesections Iii-I6 are positioned on the spindle in, their respective ribsare so engaged by the grooves in the spindle that the sections arelocked securely on the spindle against transverse movement, in whichcase, they cannot be separated while they are positioned on the spindleHi.

The provision of four grooves on the spindle l0 and four internal ribsin the cop tube 15 permits the cop tube to be positioned on the shaft sothat the dividing line of the sections lE-JE coincides with the verticalcenter line A-A (Fig. 2) or with the horizontal center line BB. However,for either position of the cop tube, the grooves and ribs coact to lockthe sections [6-1 6 on the spindle in the manner described.

The purpose of making the cop tube l5 in two sections I6l6 as described,is to provide a separable cop tube which may be used on concentricserving machines. Fig. 4 shows the cop 26, which is wound on theseparable cop tube I5, positioned on a spindle forming a part of aconcentric serving machine (not shown). The spindle 39 is provided witha central bore 31 through which a filamentary article, such as anelectrical conductor, indicated generally by the numeral 32, may beadvanced and receive a textile covering formed from strands drawn fromthe cop 23.

The spindle 30 is provided with a plurality of grooves 34-34 provided onthe free end thereof, which are of the same general character and designas those provided in the spindle ID. The grooves 34-34 are arrangedabout the periphery of the spindle 30 so that an even number of grooveswill be provided thereon for engaging the internal ribs I'l-l'l and20-20 of the cop tube [5. A greater number of grooves 34-34 are providedon the spindle 30 to permit the cop tube It to be slidably positionedthereon in several different positions around the periphery of thespindle, which facilitates quick assembly of the cop 26 on the spindle.The number of grooves that may be provided in the spindle 30 isdetermined by the diameter of the spindle and the minimum thickness ofthe sections of the spindle between the grooves which will withstand thestrain imposed thereon as the strands are withdrawn from the cop 26 andwhen the spindle is stopped suddenly.

The spindle 30 shown on Fig. 4 of the drawings is provided with twelvegrooves 34-34 spaced equally about the periphery of the spindle.

Since. the assembled coptube I5. has' four com; plete ribs thereon, thecop tube may be positioned on the spindle in any one. of four differentpositions. This factor greatly increases the ease with which the copmay. be positioned on. the spindle 3B,, and, in addition, serves todistributethe wear on the various grooves on thespindle.

When the, cop 26 wound on the cop. tube I5; is positioned on the spindle3.0, as shown in. Fig. 4, the four internal ribs Tr-.17. and 120.720..of: the tube are so engaged in four groovesin the spindle 30 that thesections I6..I.6 of-the tube are keyed, against transverse movement onthe. spindle, Consequently, the sections Ilia-I5; cannot be separateduntil the tube is. slid; off the 61 d; oi; the spindle. In high speedconcentric serving machines the spindle is caused to rotate atvery highspeeds, in which case, the centrifugal force on the type of cop-tubedescribedtends, to sepa te the tube when the cop 2,6 is nearlyexhausted.

Since the sections are securely; locked on the spindle, the sections ofthe tube cannot separate due to the centrifugal force acting thereon, inwhich case, substantially the entirecop maybe served on theadvancingcore 32. When the cop 26 is exhausted, the cop tube I5 isdisengaged from the end of the spindle 3,0 and the sections IEI6 areslid longitudinally off the spindle 30 and separated and removed fromthe conductor 32 in order that another cop like the cop may bepositioned on the spindle 30.

Referring to Fig. 5 there is shown an. alternate embodiment of theinvention, which comprises a sectional cop tube indicated generally at II5 formed of two identical sections I IB--I I5 of semicircular crosssection. Each section H6 is provided with two inwardly projecting ribs II 'I I H which are spaced 120 apart and arranged-so that each rib isspaced from its adjacent edge of the section. The sections I I6I I6 areplaced together and slidably positioned on a spindle I40 having twelvelongitudinal grooves I4I-I4I spaced 30 apart about the periphery of thespindle. The ribs II'l-I I'I slidably engage four of the grooves in thespindle.

The sectional cop tube [I5 is designed to have a bore larger than thatof the diameter of the spindle, in which case, the ribs and groovessupport the cop tube concentrically on the spindle and leave a clearanceI42 between the inner sur face of the cop tube and the periphery of thespindle and a clearance I43 between the innermost surface of the ribsand the bottom of its respective groove MI. The spindle I40 maybeconsidered as a windingspindle of a cop winding machine or a spindle ofa serving machine. In the case of the winding spindles, the clearancesMI and I42 are provided to prevent the cop tube from binding on thespindle when a cop, like the cop 26, described in the principal embodi-.ment is wound thereon. In all other respects the sectional cop tube I I5and the spindle I40 possess the sameproperties as those described forthe cop tube I5 and the spindles I 0. and 30 of the principal embodimentof the invention.

While the cop tube H5 is described as. havingtwo ribs II'I.I I1, spaced120 apart ineach section H6 and apart between each section, it is to beunderstood that the four ribs II'I-I Il may be equally spaced about theinner surface of the tube, in which case, each rib would be located 45from the edge of thetube. Such a tube would contain substantially allthe features set forth for the-cop tubes I5 and II5-withthe ex-. ceptionthattheedges of the tube are not sum.

6 ported so firmly as. are those: of; the abovedescribed embodimentsofcop. tubes.

Fig. fiillustrates another alternate embodiment. of the invention, whichconsists of a sectional cop tube 2I5 consisting of two identicalsections 2I62I6 of; semi-circular cross. section. Each section 2 I E isprovided with six inwardly. project.- ing longitudinal ribs 2-.I 'I ZI|,spaced 30 apart. The cop; tube 215 is split. into the sections 216-2 Itso that the. edge. of the first and sixth r of a h ecti n. re p ce 15,"-f om. the ad-. Jacent edges of i 3 3.19. h .010 ill- 9.8 5 pr erably ism eof a. suitable metal. su h as um n m o tt r bs. l may ha ea su st nty ar wer c oss secti n tha tha of h i s r i d on the plas cop tube 1.5.and. A o. t e nu ber of ibs m y be ncreased subs lly r he. umb r b ainabe 1. ..the l s tubes h con ube; .5 s si ned tote l d y si on ind am hcon rue: tion of which is exactly the same as that of the spindle I40shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows still another alternate embodiment of the invention, whichcomprises an elongated, sectional cop tube indicated generally at 3 ,I 5formed of two sections 3I6-3II5 having a semi: circular cross section.The cop tube is provided with two diametrically opposed, inwardlyprojecting male dovetails 3I'l-.3I'I. The tube M5 is divided into thesections 3I6-3I6 so that the dividing line passes centrally through eachof the dovetails. The cop tube is designed to beslid ably positioned ona spindle 345-,having at, least two diametrically opposed longitudinalfemale dovetails 346-346, which are arranged to slid ablyreceive themale dovetails 3I'I.-3 Il of the tube. I

When the sections 3I6-3I6 are fitted together, the tube 3I5 has aninternal bore greater than the diameter of the spindle 345, in whichcase, the sliding dovetail fit. between the spindle and tube, supportsthe tube concentrically on the spindle so as to leave an annularclearance 34'! between the inner surface of the tubeand periph. cry ofthe spindle and a clearance 348 between the inner surface of the malevdovetails on the tube and the bottom of their respective female dovetailgrooves in the spindle. Theshape of the dovetail fit between the tubeand the spindle, serves to secure the tube for rotation with the spindleand also to prevent the sections of the tube from being separated whilethey are positioned on the spindle. However, when a cop, like the cop 26of the principal embodiment of the invention, is wound on the cop tube3I5 the pressure imparted to the tube by the cop tends to move thefemale dovetails inwardly and produce a looser fit between the dovetailjoint. There-. fore, it is necessary to make the cop 3| 5 so strong thatit will withstand the cop pressure without appreciable change in theinside diameter of the tube, in order to maintain a substantially neatfit. between the dovetails while a cop is wound on the tube.

By using the dovetail type of rib and groove arrangement in the tube andthespindle, respec-,. tively, only two diametrically opposed: dovetailsare required on a sectional cop tube in order to hold the sectionconcentrically on the spindle and to prevent transverse-movement of the.sections on the spindle. It is to be understood that the coptube 3 I5 orthe .spindle 345, or both, could be provided with fourdovetail-shaped-ribs. and grooves. or any multiple. of four, without.depart-e ing from the spirit and scope-0t the invention,

In braiding machinesor eccentric type serving machines it is notnecessary to form the cop tube from two identical semi-circularsections, since it is not necessary in these types of strand handlingapparatus to remove the cop tube from the conductor or strand which isreceiving a covering from the cop wound on the cop tube. Consequently,for use with such machines, all of the various cop tubes describedhereinabove, may be cast or molded as a single tubular member, and stillretain features of the invention, as described for the separable coptubel5.

Fig. 8 shows as an alternate embodiment of the invention a tubular coptube 415 which may be used with braiding machines or eccentric servingmachines. The cop tube 415 is a single tubular member, which may be castfrom molten metal or molded from a suitable thermosetting plasticmaterial. Such a tube must have at least three inwardly projecting ribsd|54|5 equally spaced about the inner surface of the tube. The tube M5is designed to be slidably positioned on a spindle 450 which may beprovided with twelve equally spaced grooves 45l45i in the mannerdescribed for the spindle M shown in Fig. 5, to facilitate easy assemblyof the cop tube on the spindle.

It should be noted that the cop tube may be provided with four internalribs 4 l 64|6 equally spaced about the inner surface thereof, or fourribs spaced therein as shown in Fig. 5. The single cop tube M also maybe provided with any multiple of three or four ribs arranged so that thetube may be slidably positioned on a spindle like the spindle I40 shownin Fig. 5.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described indetail, it'is to be understood that each embodiment may be modified asto the kind of material used in the cop tube. Likewise, the'relativespacings and shapes of the ribs and grooves of the cop tubes andspindles, and the number of ribs and grooves may be varied withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cop tube for strand handling apparatus, which comprises anelongated tube consisting of two identical sections of semi-circularcross-section, said cop tube having four longitudinal ribs H projectingfrom the inner surface thereof, said ribs having parallel sides wherebythe ribs have a uniform cross-section.

2. A cop tube for strand handling apparatus, which comprises twoelongated cop tube sections of semi-circular cross-section designed tobe fitted together to form a tubular cop tube, each of said sectionshaving an inwardly projecting longitudinal rib centrally positionedbetween the edges thereof and an inwardly projecting longitudinal ribprovided at each edge thereof, said last-mentioned ribs being of suchthickness that when the two sections are fitted together they form apair of diametrically opposed ribs whose width is equal to the width ofthe first-mentioned longitudinal ribs.

3. A cop tube for strand handling apparatus, which comprises twoelongated sections of semicircular cross-section designed to be fittedtogether to form a tubular cop tube, each of said sections having aninwardly projecting longitudinal rib positioned centrally between theedges thereof and an inwardly projecting rib provided at each edgethereof, whereby when two sections are fitted together toform a cop tubefour equally 8 spaced ribs having the same thickness are formed.

4. A cop tube for strand handling apparatus, which comprises anelongated tube consisting of two identical elongated sections ofsemi-circular cross-section each having two diametrically opposedinwardly projecting half-dovetail ribs provided at the edges thereof,whereby when the sections are assembled the half -dovetail ribs formopposed complete dovetail ribs.

5. A cop tube for use with strand handling apparatus having a spindledesigned to rotatably support a strand supply cop, which comprises anelongated tubular cop tube on which a cop may be wound and designed tobe slidably positioned on such a spindle, said cop tube having aninternal bore larger than the diameter of the spindle, and means forsecuring the cop tube for rotation with the spindle and for supportingthe tube concentrically on the spindle with an annular clearancetherebetween.

6. Strand handling apparatus which comprises a spindle, an elongated,cylindrical tube designed to be positioned on the spindle and having aninternal bore larger than the diameter of the spindle, and means forsecuring the tube for rotation with the spindle and for supporting thetube concentrically on the spindle so as to leave an annular clearancebetween the inner surface of the tube and the periphery of the spindle,whereby the tube is prevented from binding on the spindle when a strandis wound on the tube.

'7. Strand handling apparatus which comprises a spindle having aplurality of longitudinal grooves provided on the free end thereof, anelongated, cylindrical tube designed to be positioned on the free end ofthe spindle and having an internal bore larger than the diameter of thespindle, said tube having a plurality of inwardly projecting ribsarranged to slidably engage the longitudinal grooves provided in thespindle and to lock the tube for-rotation with the spindle, said groovesin the spindle and ribs in the tube coacting to support the tubeconcentrically on the spindle so as to leave a clearance between theperiphery of the shaft and the internal bore of the tube and between thebottoms of the longitudinal grooves and the inner-most surface of theribs, whereby the tube is prevented from binding on the spindle when acop is wound on the tube.

8. Strand handling apparatus, which comprises a rotatable windingspindle, an elongated cylindrical cop tube consisting of two identicalsemi-circular sections designed to fit together on the free end of thespindle, said semi-circular sections when fitted together having aninternal bore substantially larger than the diameter of the windingspindle, and means for securing the semi-circular sections of the coptube for rotation with the spindle and for supporting the semicircularsections concentrically on the spindle with an annular clearance betweenthe internal bore of the cop tube and the periphery of the spindle,whereby'when a cop is wound on such a tube the pressure imposed on thetube by the cop is prevented from binding the tube on the spindle.

9. Strand handling apparatus, which comprises a reotatable windingspindle having a plurality of longitudinal grooves provided on the freeend thereon, and a tubular cop tube consisting of two elongatedsemi-circular sections designed to be fitted together and slidablypositioned on the spindle, said cop tube having an internal bore largerthan the diameter of the spindle, each of said sections having aplurality of inwardly projecting longitudinal ribs which are arranged toslidably engage the grooves in the spindle and secure the cop tube forrotation therewith, said grooves in the spindle and ribs in the cop tubecoacting to hold the sections together and to support the tubeconcentrically on the spindle with a clearance between the periphery ofthe spindle and the inner surface of the tube and between the ribs andthe bottoms of their respective grooves, whereby the tube is preventedfrom binding on the spindle when a cop is wound thereon.

10. Strand handling apparatus, which comprises a rotatable windingspindle having a plurality of longitudinal grooves provided on the freeend thereof, an elongated, cylindrical cop tube which consists of twoidentical sections of semi-circular cross section designed to be fittedtogether and positioned on the free end of the spindle, said tube havingan internal bore substantially larger than the diameter of the spindleand having four inwardly projecting ribs arranged to slidably engagefour of the longitudinal grooves provided in the spindle so as to securethe semi-circular sections of the cop tube together for rotation withthe spindle, said grooves and ribs provided in the spindle and cop tubecoacting to support the cop tube concentrically on the spindle so as toleave a clearance between the periphery of the spindle and the internalbore of the cop tube and between the bottoms of the grooves and theinner-most surface of the ribs, whereby when a cop is wound on such atube positioned on the spindle the pressure imposed on the tube by thecop is prevented from causing the tube to bind on the spindle.

11. In a cop winding machine, the improvement which comprises arotatable winding spindle having four longitudinal grooves spaced 90apart about the periphery of the spindle, an elongated cylindrical coptube consisting of two sections of semi-circular cross-section designedto be fitted together and slidably positioned on the free end of thespindle, said tube having an internal bore substantially larger than thediameter of the spindle and having four inwardly projecting ribsarranged to slidably engage the longitudinal grooves provided in thespindle and secure the tube for rotation therewith, said ribs providedin the cop tube coact with the grooves provided in the spindle tosupport the top tube concentrically on the spindle with an annularclearance between the periphery of the spindle and the internal bore ofthe cop tube and with a clearance between the bottoms of the grooves andthe adjacent surfaces of the internal ribs positioned therein, wherebywhen a cop is Wound on such a tube the pressure imposed on the tube bythe cop is prevented from causing the tube to bind on the spindle.

12. In a cop winding machine, the improvement which comprises arotatable winding spindle having a plurality of grooves equally spacedabout the periphery of the free end of the spindle, said grooves beingarranged on the spindle to form a predetermined number of pairs ofjuxtaposed grooves, an elongated cylindrical cop tube consisting of twoidentical semi-circular sections designed to be positioned on the freeend of the spindle, said cop tube having an internal bore substantiallylarger than the diameter of the winding spindle, each of saidsemi-circular sections having an inwardly projecting rib centrallydisposed between the ends thereof, and an inwardly projecting rib ateach extremity thereof whose width is one-half the width of the centralrib, said inwardly projecting ribs being arranged in each semi-circularsection so that when two sections are butted together the ribs formjuxtaposed pairs of ribs which slidably engage juxtaposed groovesprovided in a spindle, said arrangement of the grooves in the spindleand the ribs on the semi-circular sections of the cop tube beingdesigned to support the cop tube concentrically on the spindle and leavean annular clearance between the periphery of the spindle and the coptube and a clearance between the bottom of the grooves and the ribspositioned therein, whereby when a cop is wound on the cop tube the saidclearances between the cop tube and the spindle prevent the pressureexerted on the cop tube by a cop wound thereon from binding the tube onthe spindle;

13. In a cop winding machine, a rotatable winding spindle having twolongitudinal dovetaillike grooves provided in the free end thereof, saidgrooves being diametrically opposed about the periphery of the spindle,an elongated cylindrical cop tube consisting of two identicalsemi-circular sections designed to be fitted together over and slidablypositioned over the free end of the spindle, said semi-circular sectionswhen fitted together having an internal bore larger than the diameter ofthe winding spindle, Said tube having two diametrically opposeddovetail-like ribs, said tube being so divided into the said sectionsthat an equal portion of each rib is formed on each edge of thesections, whereby when the sections are butted together the ribsslidably engage the dovetail grooves provided in the spindle, saidgrooves provided in the spindle coact with the inwardly projecting ribsof the cop tube sections to support it concentrically on the spindle andleave an annular clearance between the periphery of the spindle and theinternal bore of the cop tube and a clearance between the bottom of thegrooves and the innermost surface of the ribs positioned in the grooves,whereby when a cop is wound on a cop tube the said clearances betweenthe cop tube and spindle prevent the pressure exerted on the cop tube bya cop wound thereon from binding the tube on the spindle.

'IILIMAN T. BUNCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

